Envision To Hold Research Proposal and Competition Workshop at 2015 Conference on Low Vision

July 29, 2015

Envision announced today that as a highlight of its up coming 2015 Conference to be held September 9-12 in Denver, it will hold a special workshop on how to design a critical research project and get it funded by developing a successful research proposal. The workshop will be presented from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 12 at the conclusion of Envision Conference 2015. The culmination will be the awarding of a seed-funding grant of up to $10,000 from the Envision Research Institute to carry out the winning proposal.

Envision will draw on sessions scheduled throughout the four-day program to provide real-time examples of winning proposals and projects. Every research track at Envision Conference 2015 will include time for discussion of the session topics, how research can be applied to rehabilitative care, and what remaining questions need to be addressed with ongoing research. Care providers and researchers will be encouraged throughout the conference to seek each other out and form concrete teams to collaborate on small research projects, to discuss study designs on specific topics and to sketch out collaborative research proposals. Each group will then be invited to submit a letter of intent to participate in the research competition, which Envision Research Institute team will critique, offering each group feedback to develop a full research proposal.

Completed proposals submitted by October 15, 2015 will be judged by the Envision Research Institute team based on their innovation, feasibility, team strengths and anticipated impact on the practice of low vision rehabilitation. One group will be selected to carry out its proposed project through the Envision Research Institute, and will enter into an agreement for Envision to fund its proposed project and negotiate terms for ownership of the research results.

“We want to encourage and facilitate open discussions that lead to critical research collaborations,” said Laura Walker, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Envision Research Institute. “Our goal with this competition is to accelerate and sponsor promising new research directions that will have a direct impact on the practice of low vision rehabilitation.”

“Research is a critical component of our mission,” said Heather Hogan, Senior Vice President of Foundation and Mission Services. “Through our annual conference, the recent launch and operation of our Envision Research Institute and our day-to-day interaction with individuals and organizations who share our passion, we are endeavoring to foster the conversations and clinical activity that can lead to a better understanding of the needs and potential aids and ultimately to a better quality of life for those who are blind or visually impaired.”
Envision Conference 2015 will be held from September 9-12 at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Full details of the 2015 program are available at www.envisionconference.org.